Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
Around SBN: Leandro Damiao Is Still Really Good

4072

nmc

Mar 30, 2008 Mar 29, 2011 17 669

Suffering fan since 1990

a fan of

Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball Team

Green Bay Packers National Football League Team

Wisconsin Badgers NCAA Men's Football Division 1A Team

Wis.-Milwaukee Panthers NCAA Men's Basketball Division 1 Team

rss icon RSSUser Blog

Brew Crew Ball This is stupid

This is incredibly stupid.

I think what's even more stupid than the idea (why on Earth would the Brewers want to move back into the AL?), is that the commentors don't know that it's impossible to schedule an odd-numbered team league.  Idiots!

Continue reading this post »

6 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Payroll calc

Crossposted from my silly blog (RSS-it already)

It's that time of year again when beat writers dust off their math and attempt to calculate an official baseball team's payroll for the season.  Like it matters much, all it does is heighten expectations (logically:  higher payroll from PY = more wins this year).

Haudricourt from the JS came up with a number close to $73mm, which isn't all that bad.  However, I came up with a number of close to $77mm based off of the wonderful Cot's Baseball Contracts numbers and my own gumption.  Obviously, neither number will actually be the final number as players are cut, signed to different deals (in the Brewers case, their glut of young position players), or should finish arbitration any day now (ie Hardy).  First, the key:

Continue reading this post »

8 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Brewers sign Cameron

I don't know how I feel about this:


Free-agent center fielder Mike Cameron has reached preliminary agreement with the Brewers on a one-year contract with a club option for 2009, according to major-league sources.

The deal is pending a physical.

...

The addition of Cameron likely will result in the Brewers moving Bill Hall to third base and Ryan Braun to left field.

[bumped by Roy Oswalt, Carlos Zambrano, et al.]

[UPDATE: I'll link to it in the comments, but the financials look surprisingly reasonable: about $5.5 million for 2008, and a club option for $10 million in 2009, with a $750,000 buyout. It also looks like we'll go with Gwoss (Grynn?) in center during the suspension. --- roguejim]

Continue reading this post »

69 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Turnbow: one batter guy

I'm trying to contain my rage, but as I was on the elliptical machine watching yet another Turnbow meltdown, it came to me...

Continue reading this post »

13 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Newsville: Sheets out until 9/1

For whatever reason, I relented and subjected myself to a Baseball Tonight.  As excruciating as it was, Peter Gammons, the lone voice of reason, came on and said that Ben Sheets will not be pitching for the Brewers before 9/1.  I don't think he has any other information.

Continue reading this post »

8 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Priorities, priorities, priorities

Cross posted at my fledgling and underwhelming blog:

Rarely do I watch the local news, but when I do, I dare them to the "humor me" with something remotely interesting and not the most recent, wretched sensationalist garbage on videotape.  Sometimes I get home right before the national news (which I still watch), so I catch the last few minutes of sports on WTMJ.  Usually it's the latest update on the Packers (even in May and June), but tonight they were live at Miller Park.

Continue reading this post »

2 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball 6/4/03: NEVER FORGET

(This would have been more timely had I gotten my act together last night, but, tough cookies.)

The typical Brewers fan may not recall 6/4/03 as a momentous date, but to me, it's what signified the rebirth of my favorite team.

Coming off an atrocious 106 loss season, the team finally hired a man hereto fore known as our savior Doug Melvin.  Unlike his predecessors (Sal Bando, Dean Taylor), Melvin actually was a real live and successful general manager with a few division titles to his credit.  He knew how to build a team, he know how to find players.  And, near and dear to my heart, he knew how to recognize a bad investment.

Over the winter of 2002/2003, Melvin made some minor moves (setting in motion the red paper clip project with Scott Podsednik), but to the casual fan it was the same old deal, just without signing the bloated underwhelming free agent.  Melvin had a plan, and he knew the plan would take a while, but what he didn't know were the clowns standing in his way.

Continue reading this post »

9 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball 2007 Draft

I will be Tivo-ing the draft Thursday to see how it's presented on ESPN and how non-excited I will be when it comes to the Brewers pick.  I guess the question is not who you would pick, but what would you be looking for?

I am not a draft expert, but having paged through the year-by-year (PDF) of the first rounds, it looks like you're really cheating death by selecting a high school pitcher.  I understand teams want to capture lightning in a bottle, but wouldn't a surer thing be selecting a college pitcher?  

As far as the Brewers outlook, I do not think they need to draft any hitters unless there is a solid catcher available.  The infield is supposedly set, and outfielders can be had.  A college pitcher could be ready in three years, a high school pitcher in five ... I would say a college pitcher is the way to go.  Who, I don't know because I find it difficult to follow college baseball.

I have faith in Team Canada and fully expect them to pick the best available.  They've had extraordinary success in their picks thus far.

Sickels' mock draft has the Brewers picking Jarrod Parker, RHP, Indiana HS.  Just what the team needs, another HS pitcher.

MLB Press Box's official info page.  Let me know if you can see it, it used to be off limits but they have done some tweaking of the site this year.

[editor's note, by Jeff] Thanks, nmc, for posting this. Personally, I'd love to see Matt Wieters (power-hitting college catcher) fall to #7, but I don't think it'll happen: I've seen him projected as high as #2.

13 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball TWIB Reflections

Every baseball fan has heard of and possibly seen This Week in Baseball, the goofy show before the Fox game of the week which is an 80% subsidiary of the Pepsi corporation.  Sometimes it actually shows highlights from the previous week, but for the most part it features ruminations of players mic-ed up watching others highlights, features on newer players that aren't interesting (aside from Tim Hudson jumping out of a closet to scare Eddie Perez), and reflections on the past (which is conveniently crammed down our throats by the powers at MLB Corporate).  Oh, and they sometimes expound on how the game keeps kids out of poverty in poor countries and shady parts of LA.  Ok.

Well, it used to be a good show.  In fact, it used to be the only way normal people could get highlights outside of their local teams if they didn't want to pay fledgling cable networks.  This is the 30th year of This Week in Baseball and ESPN Classic has been airing olde tyme episodes showing us what we all long for in a highlights program.

Continue reading this post »

3 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Rumorville: Kevin Mench

From the LA Times via MLB Trade Rumors:

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that with injuries to Howie Kendrick and Garrett Anderson and poor performance by Shea Hillenbrand, the Angels are stepping up their efforts to improve their anemic offense via the trade market.  Reportedly, the Angels are kicking the tires on several players, including "Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins and outfielders Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker, outfielders Kevin Mench (Milwaukee), Jacque Jones (Chicago Cubs), Pat Burrell (Philadelphia) and Emil Brown (Kansas City), and third basemen Morgan Ensberg (Houston) and Edwin Encarnacion (Cincinnati)."

Continue reading this post »

29 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball A view from the On Deck festivities

My wife and I braved the strong weather front rolling through Milwaukee today to stop by the On Deck event at Miller Park.

Continue reading this post »

1 comment  | 

Brew Crew Ball Spring Training Broadcasts

I have no idea of this is easily available, but I uploaded the Brewers' spring training webcast/tv/radio broadcasts schedule for all to enjoy.

Continue reading this post »

2 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball No Trade Clauses

I came here today to post something about a trade I dreamt about last night:

Pat Burrell
Ham Sandwich
+ 1 player
for
Geoff Jenkins
Vinny Rottino
+ 2 others

I thought it would work since Philly seems desperate to get rid of Burrell (signed through 2008), and likewise with the Brewers and Jenkins.  Since there isn't a spot for Rottino, the Brewers would sacrifice him and probably a minor league SP (since that's what Philly wants).

Unfortunately, I found out that Burrell has a no trade clause except to New York, Boston, or San Francisco.

Continue reading this post »

6 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Bill Hall for CF!

You know it, Bill Hall backers, time to stick him in a spot and let him lead the crew to postseason bonanza next season.  I say CF for these reasons...

Poll
Bill Hall: 2007 CF Mastadon?
Yes
13 votes
No; start him at third
14 votes
No; start him at SS
6 votes

33 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

21 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Ryan Braun

... as in the top draft picks of 2005.  I got bored and looked up how they were faring this season.  I don't believe I've heard Jim Powell talk about him during his farm updates, but these numbers have to be promising.

Continue reading this post »

8 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball JS Online: Positive returns keep coming in from 'Arizona 6' trade

Might as well spice this place up, here's a nice article on the windfall the Brewers received from getting rid of Sexson and (gasp) Nance:

Arizona Six Deal

I remember a lot of people hating it to begin with ... how could the Brewers get rid of their one star player and get all these scrubs (was the popular line).  I was happy about it, mainly because Richie's swing bothered me for some reason or another, plus it shored up a lot of holes on the diamond.

Discuss, yo.

9 comments  | 

Brew Crew Ball Is Wynegar the problem?

I'd hate to blame the woes all on one guy, but the Brewers offense has been dismal ever since he's been the batting coach.  Again today there was another eternally frustrating stretch where the Brewers had the bases loaded and nobody out ... no runs scored.  Paralysis once again.

I don't know his philosophy or coaching style, but something has to done.  From what I've heard he may be one of those coaches that analyzes everything to a point where the hitters either tune out or completely forget what they're being told when they step up to the plate.

He was on the hot seat this winter, and the spring offensive outburst cooled some things, but once again we're back to having Brewers hitters failing again and again.  We can't keep on expecting the pitching staff to be amazing every night, that only goes so far.  The Blue Jays already removed their hitting coach, should we be the next team?

Poll
Wynegar?
Give him more time
11 votes
Should have been shown the door long ago
4 votes
We need a new hitting coach
6 votes

21 votes | Poll has closed

0 comments  |